The invention is related to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,759 (the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein). The invention is an extension and refinement of the technology disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,759, which allows utilization of an effective but simple bottle mounted filtration assembly.
Over the past several years it has become apparent in industrialized countries that the water supply from many municipal sources contains contaminants which may be of a chemical or heavy metals nature, as well as biological, which heretofore had primarily been associated with developing nations or the third world countries. It has been discovered that chlorine used to treat water against biological disease bearing organisms has been recently shown to be a potential carcinogen and has also been associated with heart related diseases. Thus, it is desirable to remove chlorine, or chlorine by-products, such as chloramines, from drinking water prior to human consumption.
Also, as society has become more mobile and people relocate the differences in the "taste" of locally supplied water frequently differs from the familiar taste of the water where one grew up. Thus, more people have been purchasing bottled water to obtain what they perceive as good tasting water as well as a way to escape contamination.
The invention disclosed herein addresses these needs, in particular the simple and inexpensive production of good tasting, treated water away from home through the use of portable, easily carried, personal water bottles containing water treatment filters, and the manner by which such filters are attached to the bottle. The filters may be integrated with relatively small bottles from 6 ounce to 2 liter in size, e.g. conventional bottled water sizes, and what have become to be known as sport and bike bottles. Typically the neck size is 28 mm for the standard bottled water bottle, to 63 mm for wide mouth bike or sport bottles. While not limited to this size or type range, they represent the bottles most adaptable to the inventions described herein.
As an extension of this technology it is also adaptable to baby and child bottles, and adapted to remove harmful contaminants. Thus, a portable refillable product, reusable for a month or more, and capable of treating up to seventy gallons, or more, can be provided, along with one or several functions or benefits: i.e., filtration for taste and odor, to remove lead and other metallic impurities, to remove protozoa cysts, and lastly to devitalize bacteria and viruses.
To accomplish the above, several designs have been developed, each with its specific purpose and application. In most instances combined with a unique filter as well as a unique mount, valve and closure to affix the filter to a wide variety of internationally available bottles. The water is treated as it is drawn from the bottle through the filter.
Historically filters have been made of granular materials, and the ability to adapt filters for a variety of purposes to the same bottle with a universal adaptive closure and valve did not exist. Nor did small portable personal filters which could virtually eliminate micro-organisms such as protozoa, bacteria, and viruses at an affordable cost. The combined filters and bottle closures described, which mount the filters and support the valving device, provide such benefit. Both granular and porous plastic matrices (such as available from Porex Corporation, Atlanta, Ga.) may be used.
According to the invention, a multi-purpose convertible cap, or closure, for a sport bottle with a neck opening of 35 mm through 65 mm, but not limited to such size, is provided. Normally, such a bottle utilizes a screw on cap, but the cap may also be modified to be a snap on type, using a sealing lip which snaps over the mating surface of a bottle designed to accommodate such a snap on cap. The purpose of such a cap is to utilize and adapt one or more exit type radial flow water filters to provide a higher level of performance vs., typically, on the end of a straw at the bottom of the bottle. The subject cap permits exit filters to be engaged by a ring molded to the inside of the cap and sized to mate with either a filter or a filter containing housing from nominally 18 mm in diameter through 63 mm in diameter, but not limiting the design to a specific diameter as the subject invention also has use in multi-gallon containers with large top openings or open tops.
For use in conjunction with the cap, or closure, a series of interchangeable water filters may be provided. These filters are highly efficient, small relative to their high performance, and designed for a variety of requirements from taste, odor, and chlorine removal to the removal of both chemical and heavy metals contamination, through handling most pathogenic biological contamination problems.
According to one aspect of the present invention a filter assembly for use with a bottle having a circular cross-section neck or open end is provided which comprises the following components: An outer housing generally tubular in configuration and having openings or pores therein to allow the radial flow of liquid therethrough. A fine filtration media disposed radially inwardly of the outer housing, the fine filtration media having a pore size of between about 1-3 microns, e.g. capable of removing contaminants of 3 micron and larger. An inner filtration media disposed radially inwardly of the fine filtration media, the inner filtration media including but not limited to activated carbon. The outer housing dimensioned to pass through the neck or open end of a bottle. And, the outer housing, fine filtration media, and inner filtration media, being positionable in a bottle and with respect to each other so that liquid must pass through the outer housing, then the fine filtration media, and then the inner filtration media, before passing through the neck or open end of a bottle.
The fine filtration media may comprise at least a first support filter element mounting a high efficiency particulate filter having at least 99% removal efficiency for particles between 3-4 microns and larger (such as protozoa). Preferably the high efficiency particle filter passes the turbidity reduction test based on NFS 53-1994, Section 6.5.2, and the filter assembly has a pressure drop of less than about 3 psi. The high efficiency particulate filter preferably comprises a microfiber filter media formed of glass microfibers having varying cross-sectional diameters and having a porosity of about 1-3 microns (e.g. 1-2 microns). The first support filter element preferably comprises a supporting filter sheet adhered to the microfiber filter media either adhesively, mechanically, or in any other suitable manner, and the support filter sheet preferably comprises first and second filter sheets sandwiching the inorganic microfiber filter media between them and adhered to each (e.g. adhesively or mechanically), and the first and second filter sheets preferably each have a porosity of about 3-10 microns, although porosity is not critical for the supporting sheets and can be considerably more. The first support filter sheet (and second support filter sheet if provided) and adhered inorganic microfiber filter media may have a pleated or accordion configuration for enhanced surface area, and mechanically bonding the three filter sheets.
The inner filtration media may comprise a porous activated carbon, plastic matrix having a porosity of between about 10-150 microns. The inner filtration media is preferably tubular, and connected to a cap having a manual valve (as described in said U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,759).
According to another aspect of the present invention a filter assembly for use with a bottle having a circular cross-section neck or open end is provided comprising the following components: A radial flow block filter element having a porosity of between about 10-150 microns and having a central bore with a bottom. A drinking straw disposed within the central bore above the bottom. A spring disposed in the bore and acting between the bottom and the straw to bias the straw towards a position in which a sufficient length of straw is above the radial flow block filter element to allow a human to readily withdraw liquid through the straw from the bore. And, the filter element dimensioned to fit through a bottle circular neck or open end.
The assembly as described above may further comprise a generally tubular plastic housing surrounding the filter element, the housing having an outer surface, a plurality of ribs, and an inner surface, the plurality of ribs having slots formed between them. When formed in the axial plane the majority of the ribs may each have an outer surface at least 50% larger than the inner surface. The ribs are typically tapered from the outer surface to the inner surface so that they have a substantially triangular cross-section, with the outer surface forming the triangle base and the inner surface the apex. The apex may be truncated where desired so that the substantially triangular cross-section is actually technically trapezoidal. The filter has an outer surface area, and the ribs and slots are preferably dimensioned so that at the area of the slots and the filter element so that at least about 75% of the outer surface area of the filter area can be contacted by liquid flowing through the slots.
The filtration assembly may be in combination with a bottle having a circular neck or open end, and a dimension of elongation. In this case the filter element is dimensioned to fit through the circular neck or open end, and is positioned within the bottle so that the bore is substantially parallel to the bottle dimension of elongation. A cap may cooperate with the bottle neck or open end, for engaging the straw and, in a closing position, holding the straw against the spring bias in the bore.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention a filter assembly for use with a bottle having a circular cross-section neck or open end is provided comprising: A liquid filter element having a generally cylindrical configuration and dimensioned to fit into a bottle through a circular neck or open end thereof; and a generally tubular plastic housing surrounding the filter element, the housing having an outer surface, a plurality of ribs, and an inner surface, the plurality of ribs having slots formed therebetween; and wherein the majority of the ribs each have an outer surface surface area at least 50% larger than the inner surface surface area. The ribs are preferably tapered from the outer surface to the inner surface so that they have a substantially triangular cross-section, with the outer surface forming the triangle base and the inner surface the apex, as described above.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention a filter assembly for use with a bottle having a circular cross-section neck or open end is provided comprising the following components: A filter element comprising a porous rigid matrix of at least 25%-50% (e.g. at least about 35%) activated carbon by weight; the remainder being made up of styrene, and metal removing polymer bound to the styrene, the filter element having a porosity of between about 10-100 microns, while possible to use other materials to secure the carbon and to use as a substrate to bond the metal removing polymers, stryrene provides the simplest, high loading substrate. The filter element is dimensioned to fit in a bottle through the circular neck or open end thereof.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention a filter assembly for use with a bottle having a circular cross-section neck or open end is provided comprising the following components: A cap for closing the circular neck or open end of a bottle, the cap having a top of a first area. A filter element housing extending upwardly from and operatively connected to the cap top and having a maximum cross sectional area at least 20% larger than the cap top area. A liquid filter element mounted within the housing. A manual valve operable to be moved between an open position in which liquid may flow therethrough and a closed position in which liquid may not flow therethrough, the manual valve operatively connected to the filter element. And, the valve, cap, housing and filter element positioned with respect to each other so that liquid flowing through the cap must pass through the housing, filter element, and valve before being dispensed.
The housing may be substantially spherical, and the filter element may comprise two mating hemispherical sections disposed within the housing. The housing may have a top and a bottom opposite the top, and the valve may be mounted to the top of the housing and the cap mounted to the bottom of the housing. Alternatively the housing may be substantially disc-shaped, or substantially bulging disc-shaped, in configuration. Regardless of the shape of the housing it may have an exterior configuration or decoration attractive to a human child, such as a face, human head characteristics, animal head characteristics, game ball characteristics, etc.
The invention also relates to a bottle cap which can accommodate and mount two (or more) different types of filters. That is the invention also contemplates bottle cap and filter assembly comprising the following components: A bottle cap having a top surface and a bottom surface mounting a substantially annular support ring, and a through extending opening, through which liquid may flow between the top and bottom surfaces, the ring surrounding and substantially concentric with the opening. The support ring having inner and outer portions of different diameter. A first filter element for filtering liquid passing therethrough, and having an outer surface which can cooperate with the inner portion of the support ring so that the first filter element is held in operative association with the support ring and filters liquid passing therethrough before the liquid passes through the opening; and a second filter element for filtering liquid passing therethrough, and having an inner surface which can cooperate with the outer portion of the support ring so that the second filter element is held in operative association with the support ring and filters liquid passing therethrough before the liquid passes through the opening. The assembly may further comprise inner and outer retention rings formed on the inner and outer portions, respectively, of the substantially annular support ring. The first filter element has a depression in the outer surface thereof cooperable with the inner retention ring, and the second filter element has a depression in the inner surface thereof cooperable with the outer retention ring.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide simple, yet effective and versatile, filtration assemblies, typically in combination with drinking water bottles. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.